![[Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mathew Ahmann in a crowd.], 8/28/1963](https://offloadmedia.feverup.com/secretlosangeles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/11023123/WordPress-Banner-2024-01-11T023113.408-1024x683.jpg)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a time taken to honor the memory and legacy of the historic civil rights leader. Los Angeles honors his legacy every year with incredible parades, celebrations, and service opportunities all around the city. Due to the ongoing wildfires in L.A., giving back to the community in honor of this legendary community leader feels especially fitting this year.
Check out our list below for powerful ways to remember the late Dr. King!
1. POSTPONED! The 40th Annual Kingdom Day Parade
Sadly, due to the L.A. wildfires, the world’s largest and longest running life celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has had to be postponed. The 40th annual Kingdom Day Parade has been rescheduled to Monday, February 17, 2025. The historic parade starts at 10:00 am on Western Avenue and runs west along Martin Luther King Boulevard, turns on Crenshaw Boulevard, then east on Vernon Avenue before it ends at Leimert Park with a grand celebration full of music, dancing, food, and more. Those who won’t be able to attend in person and still join in on the festival by tuning into the live stream on ABC7.
🗓️When: Monday, February 17, 2025 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
📍Location: 4395 Leimert Blvd., Los Angeles 90008
2. L.A. Works’ Martin Luther King Day of Service 2025
Kick off the New Year by joining L.A. Works on Monday, January 20, 2025, at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the MLK 2025 Volunteer Festival: Take Action to Support our Beloved Community. The festival is Los Angeles’ largest volunteer event celebrating the National Martin Luther King Day of Service! Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King with food, music, and plenty of opportunities to engage in hands-on service opportunities, including:
- Assembling blankets, hygiene kits, and food packets for vulnerable Angelenos and those displaced by the wildfires
- An intergenerational zone for families and older adults to make book bundles and STEM kits for local students
- Creating job readiness packets and financial literacy kits for young adults
- A video game truck featuring the March on Washington fully recreated in Minecraft
- And more!
📆 When: Monday, January 20, 2025
📍 Location: LA Memorial Coliseum, 3911 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA
3. Visit a California National Park on MLK Day
To honor the birthday of Martin Luther King, National Park Service sites will waive entrance fees for everyone on Monday, January 20, 2025 — as the first fee-free day of the year. Save money on parking, entrance fees, and museums — find your free local national park options here!
📆 When: Monday, January 20, 2025
📍 Location: All California National Parks
4. King Day 2025 at California African American Museum
King Day at CAAM is a day on, not off! This Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day come together at CAAM for King Day 2025 with a performance by the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, discussions with the King Study Group, family activities, food trucks, and so much more. Plus, the galleries will remain open for browsing. This year they’ve also added a community service book donation drive with the Los Angeles Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., supporting the Little Free Library at the Crenshaw Family YMCA. CAAM invites you to participate in this initiative by donating children’s books, either new or gently used, that can inspire, educate, and entertain young readers and foster a love for reading among the children in our community.
📆 When: Monday, January 20, 2025 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm
📍 Location: 600 State Drive, Exposition Park Los Angeles, California 90037
5. Watch Selma at Academy Museum
Watch David Oyelowo in a stirring performance as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the film, Selma. This powerful historical drama is from director Ava DuVernay and is showing at the Academy Museum this Saturday.
📆 When: Saturday, January 18, 2025
📍 Location: 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90036
Edited by Sarah Nash.